Combined step-ladder and ironing-board.



No. 793,250. PATENTBD JUNE 27, 1905. L. H. TUCKER & H. A. MARSHALL.

COMBINED STEP LADDER AND IRONING BOARD.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 6, 1903.

[NVEN TOR 5 W1 INESSES:

Patented June 27, 1905.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAURENCE HOBLERT TUCKER AND HOTVARD ADAMS MARSHALL, OF BERKLEY, VIRGINIA.

COMBINED STEP-LADDER AND IRONING-BOARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 793,250, dated June 27, 1905.

Application filed June 6, 1903. Serial No. 160,329.

To rt/Z It'll/071D it may concern.-

Be it known that we, LAURENCE Honnnn'r TUoK an and HOWARD AnAMs MAnsnALL, citi- Zens of the United States, residing at Berkley, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in a Combined Step-Ladder and Ironing-Board, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to combined step-ladders and ironing-boards designed for household use and made convertible from a stepladder to an ironing-board, and vice versa, at the will of the user; and the invention consists of the construction and the novel combination of the parts of the same, as will hereinafter more fully be described and claimed.

In the drawings hereto annexed and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the device in the extended or open position when in use as a stepladder,the ironing-board, its supporting-legs, and braces being in the inoperative positions so far as the structure may be used as an ironing-board. Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the device in the extended or open position when used as an ironing-board. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the structure when in use as an ironing-board,showing the crossed braces used for strengthening the legs of the ironinghoard frame. Fig. Ais a detail view showing a section at the larger end of the ironing-board 12, the cross-piece 13, and the hinge 20, the latter being shown in the open or unfolded position, the view being taken from the lower face of the ironing-board. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the lower face of the ironing-board at its upper or smaller end, showing the crossbar 11 and the spring-catch 17, a pivoted pin for the catch being illustrated at the lower end of the latter.

Referring by numeral to the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the step-ladder proper, which is provided with the usual top board or cap-board 2 and which is provided with the braced ironing-boardframe 3, which is provided at the upper ends of its side rails with half-hinges 1, which connect with or engage half-hinges 5 at the upper ends and at the rear edges of the side rails 6 of the step-ladder. The ironing-board frame 3 serves as the legs or support for the step-lai'lder when they are open or extended for using the structure as a step-ladder.

Pivoted braces 7 and 8 are connected with the outer faces of the sine rails 6 of the stepladder, their lower beveled ends9 coming into engagement with stop-pins 10, projecting outwardly from the outer faces ofsaid side rails 6 to hold said pivoted braccsin alincment with said side rails 6 when the structure is in use asastep-ladder. However, when the structure is used to bring the ironing-board into operative position these pivoted braces 7 and 8 are brought into use as supportinglegs, being provided at their ends with notched plates or hook-plates 11, projecting from the upper ends of said pivoted braces 7 and 8, which braces 7 and 8 then serve as legs for supporting the board 12 in the position to be utilized as an ironing-board. The notched plates or hook-plates 11 when the device is adjusted to the position for use as an ironing-board engage with stop-pins 11, projecting laterally outward from the parallel bars of the frame 3.

The ironing-board 12 is connected at its larger end to a cross-piece 13 of the supporting-frame, near the lower end of the latter, by a hinge 20, which permits the board 12 to be raised when the spring-catch 17 has been turned to release said board for that purpose, after which the said s pring-catch may be again engaged with the crosspiece 1 1 to hold the board 12 in the locked position. The crosspiece 14 is employed near the upper end of said supportingframe, and a top cross-brace 15 and a bottom cross-brace 16 are secured to the outer edges of the rails of said supportingfranie. Upon its under face, near its upper or smaller end, the ironing-board 12 is pro-v vided with an angular pivoted spring-catch 17, which when said ironing-board is in the closed position engages the upper cross-piece 1A of said supporting-frame or ironing-board frame 3 and prevents said ironing-board 12 from being turned outwardly from its supporting-frame when the structure is in use as a step-ladder. \Vhen in use as an ironingboard, the angular spring-catch 17 may be turned laterally on its pivotal point to release it from engagement with the upper cross-piece M of said supporting-frame, and the ironingboard may be turned to permit certain kinds of clothes to be slipped thereon to be ironed thereon, after which the spring-catch may be returned to its holding or looking position. It is obvious that the spring-catch may be disengaged from its cross-piece and the ironingboard raised upon its hinge 20 to permit the removal of the ironed fabric when the ironing has been completed.

An extra brace 18 is employed at each side rail of the supporting-frame to strengthen the device when used as an ironing-board, these braces being pivoted to the side rails and provided with intersecting crossed braces 19, which strengthen said braces, and may be carried up or in against the front edges of the side rails of the frame 3 when said braces or supports are in the folded or closed position. The ends of the braces 18 are provided on the inner faces of their normally free ends with metal plates 21, which are provided with notches 22 in their lower edges and end notches 23 in their front ends, which may be brought into engagement with laterally and outwardly projecting headed studs or pins 24 to hold the structure first in the position for use as a stepladder, as shown in Fig. '1, or in position as an ironing-board, as shown in Fig. 2. The cross-braces 19, near the lower end of the structure, are provided with angularly-bent 'ends, which areinserted into seats 25 between the plates 21 and the inner faces of the braces 18, while the diagonal brace-rods 19 engage the outer faces of the pivoted braces 7 and 8 to hold the device in shape for use as an ironing-board. The brace-rods 19 and 19 are bent at right angles at their terminals and are forced into seats formed in substantially the outer faces of legs 7 8 18 of the structure. In this connection it should be borne in mind that the brace-rods 19 and 19 are removable, so that when in place or engagement with their appropriate braces the structure may be used as an ironing-board, but that when said bracerods have been removed the structure may readily be converted into a step-ladder by folding the braces 7 and 8 against the outer faces of the sides of the ladder-frame.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination with a step-ladder of a hinged supporting-frame connected at its upper end with the upper end of said ladder by half-hinges engaging half-hinges on said stepladder; stop-pins near the upper portions of said supporting-frame, said stop-pins projecting from the outer faces of said supportingframe; supporting-legs hinged to the outer faces of the side rails of said step-ladder, hooks or catches at the inner ends of said supporting-legs adapted to be engaged with and released from engagement with said stop-pins; pivoted braces secured to, the supportingframe near the lower ends of its side rails and cross-braces connecting the legs of the supporting-frame and the pivoted braces in pairs to give stability to said structure; substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LAURENCE HOBLERT TUCKER. HOWARD ADAMS MARSHALL.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR G. MoCoY, G. A. THOMPSON. 

